scott



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

O. A. SCOTT.

RAILWAY SWITCH CIRCUIT CLOSER.

No. 292,687. Patented Jan. 29, 1884.

N PETERS. Fhuloilmcgraphcr. wauvingmn. n. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. A. SCOTT.

RAILWAY SWITGH CIRCUIT CLOSER.

No. 292,687. Patented Jan. 29, 1 884.

N. PETERS PhahrL'rlhugupher, Washington. D. Cv

UNITED STATES FATENT @rrrcn.

CHARLES A. SCOTT, OF BOSTOII, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY-SWITCH CIECLHT=CLQSER SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 292,687, dated January i9, 1884.

Application filed Apiil 10, 1883.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Grmntns A. Soon, a. citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Railway-SwitchCircuit- Closers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, inwhich-'like letters indicating like parts Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a planview of a railway-switch, illustrating the manner of apply ing mypresent improvements thereto. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a plan view of thecircuit-chang ing apparatus to an enlarged scale, the cover of the boxor case in which itis inclosed being removed. Fig. 3 shows in elevationa vertical longitudinal section of Fig. 2; and Figs. at and 5, Sheet 1,represent views present-ly to be explained.

In systems of railway switches and signals it is sometimes important tocombine the movable switch-rails with some appliances such that theshifting of the rails shall automatically cause the setting of one ormore signals by which to govern train movements or to do other work inthe operation of the road such as to ring a bell, work an annuueiator,or look some other movable device in position corresponding to the thenposition of the switch. This result, broadly considered, is not new. Themovable rails of a switch have been caused to operate an electriccircuitchanging mechanism, so that a circuit. was made or brokenautomatically as the switchrails were moved one way or the other. Mypresent invention relates to an improved con struction ofcircuitchanging or circuit makeand-break mechanism, through the agencyof which, in the manner indicated, to do the work above referred to, orother like work on or along a railway-line.

In Fig. 1, B may represent the movable rails of a switch of any desiredconstruction; R, the main-track rails leading to a siding or branchline, It. A longitudinally-reciprocating rod or stem, 13, workingthrough suit-able end guides, b, and stufiing-box or otherguides, b, inthe ends of the box A, is connected at (3'0 model.)

its ends with the movable switch-rails R- in the manner common inswitch-bridle connections or otherwise, though for operative purposes itis suiticient if it abuts at its ends against the web of the rails, asshown, so as to receive an end movement or thrust as the rails areshifted one way or the other in the normal operation of the switch. Thisstem passes through a box, A, which is properly secured, say, to across-tie, and on that part which plays in the box I make a groove orreduced neck, a. Inside the box I pivot a vibrating arm, (Z, and securethereon a weight, (1, in such position that its lower end may, when therails R R are in one position, enter the groove (1, as illustrated byfull lines in Fig. 3, and when the rails It R are shifted to the otherposition and the rod A is consequently moved endwise, such weight,riding up the incline a at the end of the groove (1, will raise thevibrating arm (1 to the position shown in dotted lines,

In the end of the box A opposite the free end of the vibrating arm (Z, Isecure a block, I), of insulating material, and on its upper side afiixtwo contact-plates, c e, which con stitute the terminals of the wires 5a of an electric circuit, and on the under side of the block I), Isecure two similar plates similarly located or arranged, and moreparticularly shown in Fig. i, which represents an end view of the blockD and its contact-plates, and these two lower plates, 2' i, constitutethe terminals of another circuit in like manner as the wires e .2. Eachof these circuits may lead off through a suitable battery to anelectro-magnet, through the action of which, by suitable mechanism, anydesired work may be done such as the setting or shifting of signals, theworking of an alarm-bell or an annunciator, or a lockingdevice-mechanism suitable for such and other kindred purposes beingalready well known in the art. The contact-plates c 5 project forward alittle beyond the front edge of the block D, as illustrated in Figs. 3and 4:, and a metallic plate, n, securedthrough prop er insulation tothe end of the vibrating arm (Z, is caused to play or move up and downin the space thus provided, and the parts are so proportioned andconnected that when the weight (2 is down in the groove a the plate nwill be in contact with the two lower terminals,i,and will makeelectrical connection from one to the other, and so close the circuitthrough the wires thereof, and the circuit through the wires 2 z will bebroken. But when the stem A is by the switch motion shifted so as tocause the weight (1 to ride up out of the groove a, then the plate nwill clear the lower contact-terminals, t 2', so as to break the circuitthrough the wires thereof, and will make contact with the upper pair ofterminals, 6 e, and thereby will close the circuit through the wires 2z. The plate at is preferably made of spring metal, and with its end inbrush form, as shown, so that it may certainly make contact either wayand a little in advance of the end of the movement of the arm (1.

In the preferred organization of this apparatus in or as a part of asignaling system the movement which shifts the rails R It to the sidingshould break he circuit, the signal of which governs the movement of theincoming or expected train; hence that signal should go to danger (sayas a result of breaking its circuit) as soon as the main line of trackis broken,and should notbe setto safety (as by the reclosing of itscircuit) until the main-line track is restored, or substantially'so. Toinsure this operation in the mechanism described, I make the incline aof the groove a at such point that it will operate the circuit-changingmechanism a one way as soon as or immediately after the rails It Itbegin their move ment from the main -line position, and will move suchcircuit-changing mechanism back again or permit it to move back onlywhen the rails R R come back to or nearly to their main-line position.But as regards the motion of the vibrating arm (I, the same result maybe secured by the use of a rod, wrist, and slot, as illustrated in Fig.5, where the rod 5 and wrist h are the mechanical equivalent of theweight, and the incline a of the slot is the equivalent of the incline aof the groove c. Other like modifications, which embrace mechanicalequivalents and retain substantially the operation described, areincluded herein.

The use of two circuits and two pairs of terminals e and q? is notessential, as one circuit and one pair may be omitted, while, on theother hand, other pairs of terminal plates may be added for additionalcircuits, and additional circuit-changers, similar to a, may be affixedto the arm (I, so as to make and break one or more other circuits, asmay be desired.

The stem A is made of cylindrical or rod form by preference, with thegroove a extending around it, as it is easily made and may be put inwithout regard to which side is up; but, if preferred, a bar, flat orother desired form, may be used, with substantially such a groove 011one side only, and by such a groove I mean one that will do the workreferred to in substantially the manner set forth; also, the rod 13 maybe affixed to one of said rails, so as to move therewith withoutnecessarily extending to the other, provided it be long enough to eXtend into the box and operate the movable arm (I.

I claim herein as my invention 1. The cylindrical rod B, having agroove, (1, extending around it, such groove terminat ing in inclines a,in combination with a pivoted arm, d, a circuit make-and-breakcontactpiece on said arm, and one or more pairs of circuitterminals,substantially as set forth.

2. An incline, a, arranged on red B with relation to the rails R, fromwhich the rod B takes its motion, and with relation to the circuitmake-and-break mechanism, to which its motion is transmitted,substantially as de scribed, with reference to breaking the circuit atthe beginning of the rail movement from main line to siding, andrestoring such circuit only at the end of the reverse movement, in themanner set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES A. SCOTT.

Witnesses:

JOHN Y. YOUNG, STEPHEN W. TROWBRIDGE.

